The invention pertains to digital data processing and, more particularly, for example, to multimedia digital data distribution. It has application, by way of nonlimiting example, to the automated distribution of advertising, digital shelf labeling and other digital signage.
Signage is at least as old as business. Whether it dates back to the advent of the world's oldest profession is a topic for another day. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term signage generally refers to commercial signs, that is, commercial marks, notices, etc., that convey information or instructions. The word has a rich etymology that indicates Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French, Middle French roots and that lends credence to the Wikipedia history of signage, suggesting that the ancient Egyptians and Romans used signs, and that King Richard II compelled taverns to employ them to facilitate inspections by the local authorities.
Initially, carved into stone, tree trunks and other fixed objects, signage has largely been a form of printed media since the advent of lithography and other, more modern printing techniques. Printed signage is a regular part of most of our lives; it is difficult to get through a day in modern industrial society without seeing tens if not hundreds of signs.
Though the term dates long back, signage as a field is anything but static. As the cost of natural resources rises and the world becomes more digitally “connected,” paper-based signs are giving way to digital signage at an ever-increasing rate. One industry research association estimates that the number of installed digital signage sites will grow three-fold, from somewhat over 0.5 million to 1.5 million sites by the end of the decade, with annual revenues growing at an average of almost 15% to almost $7 billion, globally.
While a boon to digital sign makers, content creators, network operators, and media buyers, alike, the growth of digital signage is not entirely welcome by those who should benefit from it the most—retailers and advertisers. Digital signs can, in the most egregious of instances, be more difficult to use and maintain then their paper counterparts, not to mention many times more expensive.
One company whose products have bucked the trend in this regard is the assignee hereof. Founded in 2005, Aerva provides real-time interactivity between mobile, social media applications and digital display networks. Its AerWave product is a web-based platform for managing and scheduling content on networked displays, with integration for social media, real-time data feeds, and mobile interactivity. It features robust content management, easy scheduling, and a powerful network operations system that is served from the “cloud.”
Notwithstanding advances introduced by Aerva and others in the field, there remains room for improvement to further enhance the usability, increase the flexibility and reduce the costs associated with digital signage systems, particularly, as their reach extends into the marketplace and encompasses a wider range of form factors, from billboards to storefront signs to electronic shelf labels (ESLs). Such is among the objects of the invention.
Other objects of invention include providing improved systems, apparatus and methods for digital data processing.
Still other objects of the invention include providing such systems, apparatus and methods as are applicable to multimedia digital data distribution.
Yet still other objects of the invention include providing such systems, apparatus and methods as are applicable to shelf labels, advertising and other digital signage.